Chiltern Railways has renamed Birmingham Moor Street as ‘Bellingham Moor Street’ to celebrate Jude Bellingham ahead of England’s World Cup semi-final clash with Argentina on Wednesday, July 15.

The sign, displayed on Platform 3, will remain in place for as long as England remain in the tournament.

Michael Stewart, commercial and customer strategy director at Chiltern Railways, said: “Jude Bellingham is an iconic sporting figure from the West Midlands and we have decided to rename Birmingham Moor Street to support the national team ahead of the huge game against Argentina.

“We wish the national team and Jude Bellingham the best of luck ahead of the World Cup semi-final.”

Bellingham, who was born in Stourbridge, is widely regarded as one of the region’s brightest sporting talents and has played a key role in England’s journey through the tournament.

Birmingham Moor Street is also just a short distance from Birmingham City, the midfielder’s boyhood club.

Chiltern Railways operates commuter and regional passenger services from London Marylebone through Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Warwickshire, with long-distance routes connecting to the West Midlands.

Its services extend to Birmingham Snow Hill, Stratford-upon-Avon, Oxford, and Stourbridge Junction during peak hours, as well as routes terminating at Aylesbury Vale Parkway.

Global Vision International (GVI), based in Exeter, offered charitable travel programmes across the globe for 28 years, providing placements in conservation, education, and community development in countries such as Costa Rica and Fiji.

The company announced its closure at the start of July, leaving customers unable to travel.

Many of those affected are gap year students and recent graduates who had paid for placements intended to boost their education and career prospects.

UK travel company GVI enters liquidation

GVI offered programmes including nature and conservation trips, including locations such as Costa Rica, Fiji and more.

It was part of the “voluntourism” sector, combining voluntary work with adventure travel, and was popular with school leavers and gap year students.

The news of GVI entering liquidation was revealed suddenly.

Andrew Valentine, chief executive of GVI, issued a statement on its website, saying: “For nearly three decades, GVI has been far more than just an organisation.

“It has been a global family with a shared vision.

“It is with an incredibly heavy heart that I write to share that GVI is today closing its doors.

“This is a deeply sad conclusion to a remarkable journey, but as we navigate this final chapter, we look back with immense pride and gratitude for everything we achieved together.”

The statement continues: “Over the last 28 years, we successfully supported critical wildlife and marine conservation projects to safeguard endangered ecosystems, partnered with local communities through collaborative education and sustainable livelihood initiatives, and welcomed an incredible network of alumni who continue to advocate for our planet.

“GVI may be coming to an end, but the impact we have built together on the ground is too important to let go.

“Because of this, our hope is that the conservation and community initiatives continue.

“While the journey will look different in the future, our personal dedication to supporting our on-the-ground partners remains unchanged, and it is my sincere wish that our global community will continue to carry that flame forward.”

Mr Valentine also expressed regret for the impact on participants and assured that GVI staff would support those on placement.

All participants have been told that programmes are cancelled, and they should expect formal instructions about how to lodge claims with liquidators.

GVI offered trips to various places such as Costa Rica (pictured), FIji, and more (Image: Getty Images)

Students left out of pocket after UK travel company GVI closes

Amy Taylor, 21, from Manchester, had paid £4,000 for a conservation internship in South Africa.

“I was so happy within myself when I got accepted,” she told BBC Newsbeat.

“I was just so excited about the future that I might have.

“There’s essentially absolutely nothing I can do about it.”

Ms Taylor, who is studying wildlife conservation and zoo biology, said the experience was meant to help her stand out to employers and launch her career after graduation.

She said that she is relying on her bank to reclaim her money as her travel insurance was booked through GVI.

Amy said: “If I don’t get the money back, I can’t go anywhere else and I don’t really trust anyone at the moment to be able to go anywhere else.

“It didn’t seem like they were struggling – everything looked professional.”

Another customer, Anna, said she was set to fly to Cambodia in July with GVI for a four-week research fellowship.

The university student from Cheshire says her trip cost more than £2,500, and that she has so far only been able to claim back part of her flight.

Another student, Linus Rowland-Bell, 23, from Liverpool, paid £2,258 for a placement in the Amazon rainforest in Peru after discovering GVI at a university careers fair.

He said: “To save up that money I worked two days a week alongside my studies.”

Mr Rowland-Bell reported concerns after repeated delays and contradictory communication from the company.

He eventually received an email from the Peru centre on June 28 saying it could not accept new participants because GVI had not paid it for six months.

Two days later, customers were notified of GVI’s liquidation.

He said: “The thought of all that money, all that time that I’ve saved up, that excitement completely vanishing into the ether, it was terrifying.”

Mr Rowland-Bell managed to reclaim the full amount through his bank.

Newsquest has approached RG Insolvency, who are overseeing GVI’s liquidation, for comment.

Other UK travel companies that have closed in 2026

The closure of GVI follows several UK-based travel companies that have shut down so far this year.

Nine other UK travel companies which have ceased trading in 2026:

Recommended reading:

Meanwhile, four UK airlines have fallen into administration or liquidation this year:

• Ascend Airways (liquidation)
• EcoJet Airlines (liquidation)
• Zenith Aviation Limited (administration)
• European Cargo (administration)

Have any of the above travel company closures affected you this year? Let us know in the comments.

Valarian has secured a USD $50 million Series A investment led by New Enterprise Associates, taking the British technology company’s total funding to USD $70 million.

The round marks NEA’s first defence and dual-use investment in Europe. Other participants included Lightbank, XTX Ventures, Sequel, Litquidity VC, and angel investors Gokul Rajaram and Nikesh Arora.

The new funding will support the rollout of Valarian’s digital infrastructure across government, defence and enterprise users. The London-based company builds systems for organisations handling sensitive data and using artificial intelligence tools.

Its main platform, ACRA, is designed to let customers deploy AI while keeping data within their own environment. Valarian’s broader product set aims to help organisations govern, secure and expand AI use across public and private sector settings.

The deal comes as ministers place greater emphasis on domestic control over AI systems, data and computing infrastructure. The argument has gained traction as governments seek to reduce reliance on external providers for sensitive digital operations.

Kanishka Narayan, Minister for AI and Online Safety, linked the investment to that wider policy debate.

“Today, AI is the defining currency of both hard and soft power. To shape our own destiny, in accordance with our values, it is imperative that we build Britain’s sovereign AI capabilities. Pioneering British firms like Valarian understand the challenge in front of us and are building the solutions that will help us deliver a safer and stronger Britain. Investments like these are helping to keep the UK at the frontier of AI development, and complement the work we’re doing through our Sovereign AI Fund, AI Hardware Plan and more to build Britain’s AI strengths,” said Kanishka Narayan, Minister for AI and Online Safety, UK Government.

Sovereign focus

For Valarian, the pitch centres on control. The company argues that the ability to retain control of critical data, systems and technology was until recently limited largely to defence organisations and a small group of heavily regulated institutions. But AI adoption is making those requirements relevant to a much broader set of users.

That framing helps explain investor interest in businesses offering infrastructure rather than end-user AI applications. As adoption widens, companies and public bodies are increasingly examining where data sits, who manages access, and how models can be used without giving up operational control.

Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, said the investment reflected confidence in the sector.

“To strengthen our national security, we need more innovative British companies like Valarian building the technologies that will define our future. This announcement is a strong vote of confidence in the UK’s world-leading defence and dual-use technology sector, and in the UK’s ability to build the critical capabilities our security and prosperity depend on,” said Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, UK Government.

Valarian was founded by Max Buchan and Josh McLaughlin and is headquartered in London. The latest round gives the company additional backing as it seeks to expand its presence in government, defence and commercial markets where data sovereignty is a procurement concern.

Buchan said the funding supports the buildout of domestic infrastructure for AI adoption.

“We’ve always believed Britain has the talent and ambition to be a global leader in AI. To do that, we need to build the sovereign digital infrastructure that allows government, defence and enterprise to adopt AI securely while remaining in control of their own data. This investment allows us to accelerate that work, strengthen sovereign AI capabilities and ensure more of the technology underpinning our future is built here in Britain,” said Max Buchan, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Valarian.

For NEA, the transaction extends a long-established technology investment strategy into a European defence and dual-use context. The venture capital firm said the decision reflects demand for new infrastructure layers as AI becomes more deeply embedded in sensitive environments.

Mustafa Neemuchwala, Partner at NEA, outlined the investor’s view of the market.

“The critical question of the AI era isn’t which model wins – it’s who controls the environment intelligence operates inside. Valarian answers that question with genuine defence-grade architecture. This is NEA’s first defence and dual-use investment in Europe, and we made it because Valarian is building the control infrastructure layer the sovereign AI era requires,” said Mustafa Neemuchwala.